Wind turbine rotor blade with trailing edge extension and method of attachment

Abstract

A wind turbine rotor blade assembly includes a rotor blade having a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending in a generally span-wise direction between a tip and a root. An edge extension is attached along the trailing edge and includes a first strip member having a span-wise attachment section attached to pressure side, and a second strip member having a span-wise attachment section attached to the suction side. Each of the first and second strip members has an outboard edge and an extension section that projects chord-wise beyond the trailing edge. The extension sections are adhesively attached to each other outboard of the trailing edge along a span-wise length of the first and second strip members and define an adhesively bonded closure edge of the edge extension. A method is also provided for forming an edge extension on a wind turbine rotor blade.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for forming an edge extension on a wind turbine rotor blade, the rotor blade having a pressure side shell member, a suction side shell member, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending in a generally span-wise direction between a tip and a root, the method comprising;
 attaching a first strip member to the pressure side shell member along the trailing edge of the blade such that a span-wise section of the first tape member defines an extension section that extends chord-wise beyond the trailing edge; 
 attaching a second strip member to the suction side shell member along the trailing edge of the blade such that a span-wise section of the second tape member defines an extension section that extends chord-wise beyond the trailing edge; 
 adhesively attaching the respective extension sections of the first and second strip members together such that outboard edges of the extension sections define a bonded closure edge; 
 finishing the bonded closure edge to achieve a desired outboard edge contour along the edge extension; and 
 wherein the finishing comprises trimming a portion of the extension sections. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing noise-reduction structural members along the extension sections. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the noise-reduction structural members are defined in the first and second strip members prior to attaching the strip members to the rotor blade. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 2 , comprising defining the noise-reduction structural members in the extension sections subsequent to attaching the first and second strip members to the rotor blade. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , comprising defining a serrated profile along the outboard edges of the extension sections. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , comprising attaching the first and second strip members to the rotor blade at a wind turbine site. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said first and second strip members comprise adhesively-backed tape strips. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said first and second strip members are directly adhered to each other along said extension sections without intervening structural components. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising a stiffening strip member disposed between said first and second strip members along said extension sections. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein said stiffening strip member is adhesively attached to said first and second strip members and unattached to said trailing edge. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 9 , wherein said stiffening strip member is attached to either or both of said pressure side or said suction side along said trailing edge. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , wherein said stiffening strip further comprises a plurality of pressure side attachment tabs and suction side attachment tabs spaced along an inboard edge thereof. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 11 , wherein said stiffening strip comprises a fiber reinforced material, wherein fibers in said material are oriented at an angle of generally 45° relative to an outboard edge said edge extension.